Car-door fastener.



G. E. MERRITT.

CAR DOOR FASTEN'ER,

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, I915.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

came/Mow eozsa ('3. 916mm Mom wa s G. E. MERRITT.

CAR DOOR FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, m5.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

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GEORGE E. MERRITT, E BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR, 0F ONE-FOURTH TOWILLIAM N. CRISP, ONE-FOURTH T0 GEORGE C. SCHIMPF, AND ONE-FOURTH TOGEORGE E. WIESECKEL, ALL OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

GAR-DOOR FASTENER.

menses.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Oct. 1'7, 1916.

Application filed April 28, 1915. Serial No. 24,486.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. MERRITT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Car-Door Fasteners; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in door fasteners and moreparticularly to fasteners for freight car doors.

The object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed andeflicient door fastener of this character so formed as to firmly closeand reliably look the door to which it is applied in closed position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement ofparts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of aportion of a freight car equipped with this invention; Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section taken on the line 2 2 of F ig. 1; Fig. 3' is anenlarged detail side elevation partly in section of a freight car doorand its cooperating frame showing this improved fastener mounted thereonwith the fastener in open position; Fig. 4' is a similar view showingthe fastener in partially closed position; Fig. 5 is a similar viewshowing the fastener in nearly closed position; Fig. 6 is' a similarview showing the fastener in closed and locked position, whereby thedoor is securely retained against the accidental opening; Fig. 7 is ahorizontal section taken on the line -77 of Fig. 3', showing the dooropposite the opening ready to be closed by the lever controlled camactuating member; Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the door in the actof being closed by the cam; Fig. 9 is a similar view taken on the line99' of Fig. eshowing the door in closed position ready to be firmlyseated and locked by the lever; Fig. 10 is a similar view showing thedoor in closed locked position; Fig. 11 is a vertical section taken onthe line 11-11 of Fig.4; Fig. 12 is an edge view of the cam lockingmember; Fig. 13 is a vertical section taken on the linel3l l .f Fig. 9;Fig.-14isa-de tail view of the inner sectional sleeve fastenl'ng plate.

In the embodiment illustrated a portion ing its sliding movement.

The door D is provided around the edges thereof on its opposite faceswith reinforcmg or wearing plates 18 which may be of any suitable ordesired width and secured thereto by any suitable means.

The fastener contemplated by this invention is shown mounted on one edgeof the door D and is in the form of a substantially segmental cam 20having a shank 21 extending laterally from the smaller end thereof, saidshank being angular in cross section and adapted to be inserted in acorrespondingly shaped sleeve which will soon be described. The free endof the shank 21 is provided with a reduced longitudinal T- shapedextension 22, the head 23 of which is designed for connecting the shankto an actuating lever 24: hereinafter to be described.

The sleeve 25 which forms a bearing for the cam fastening element ishere shown provided at its" opposite ends with annular flanges 26 and 27and which is housed in a recess 29 formed adjacent the edge of the doorD, said sleeve being held in operative position; in said recess by meansof an outer plate 29 and an inner plate 30, said outer plate 29 having asemi-circular recess in its outer edge for extending partly around thesleeve 25 and which registers with a similar recess 18 formed in theouter strip 18 on the edge of the door, the recess 18 encircling theother half of the sleeve as shown clearly in Fig. 9. The inner plate 30is constructed in two sections which are designed to extend to the edgeof the door and are provided in their meeting edges with registeringsemicircular recesses 31 adapted to engage opposite sides of the sleeve25 and which serve to reinforce the plate 29, the thickness of the two,plates 29 and 30 corresponding to the distance between the flanges 26and 27 of said sleeve 25, as is shown clearly iii-Figs. 9 and 10. It isof course understood that these plates are bolted to the door, the boltshaving their heads disposed outwardly and the nuts on the inner face ofthe door to prevent all possibility of this plate being removed toafford access to the locking catch or latch carried thereby and thusprevent surreptitious opening of the door.

The outer flange 27 of the sleeve is provided with a lateral extension32 which is grooved longitudinally to form a seat 33 for the receptionof the cam actuating lever Qtas is shown clearly in Figs. 3 to 6. Thislever 24 is provided at its inner end with a longitudinally extendingslot 2 f which is designed to fit over the head 23 of the T- shapedextension of the cam shank 21 and to be turned in a plane at rightangles thereto as shown clearly in Fig. 6 for the purpose of lockingsaid lever to said cam. This lever 24 is fulcrumed to the extension 32intermediately of the length of said extension as shown at 34 and theouter-end of said lever is deflected from its fulcrumed point outwardlyto adapt it to have a tilting movement on its fulcrum for a purpose tobe delocked open position.

similarly constructed but open in opposite scribed.

Keepers 35 and 36 are secured on the door D at suitable positions toreceive the free end of the lever 2% when the cam latch is in itsprojected or retracted positions, the keeper 35 serving to hold thelever and the cam connected therewith in locked closed position and thekeeper 36 serving to hold it in These keepers are directions being hereshown substantially Z- shaped in form with one end or arm secured to thedoor and the free arm thereof spaced laterally from the door and openingtoward the edge thereof on which the catch is mounted so that when thelever is swung into its extreme lowered position, in which position thecam is in its locking engagement with the keeper of the door frame to bedescribed, said lever end issprung over the free arm of the keeper 35and passed under said arm and thereby securely held against accidentalmovement, it being necessary in order to actuate the lever to firstswing it Secured to the facing or frame F of thedoor opening is a keeper37 having a recess 38to receive the cam shaped locking element 20 whenthe door is in closed position, the entrance to said socket or recess 38being shown beveled as at 39 with which the beveled end 20 of the cam 20is designed to cooperate when the latch or cam is being swung intolocked position, thereby exerting a pulling action for forcing the doorinwardly into close engagement with its seat. After the beveled end 20of said cam enters this entrance of the socket 38, it is moved upwardlytherein into the position shown in Figs. 6 and 10 in which positions thedoor will be firmly seated and may be locked in this position by passingthe free end of the lever 2% under the free arm of the keeper 35 whereit. is secured by a sealing wire 40 which is designed to indicatewhether or not the latch has been tampered with, said wire being passedthrough an aperture 35 formed in the upstanding portion of the keeper 35and through an aperture 2 f formed in the end of the lever 24 and afterbeing so passed the ends thereof are brought together and sealed in theusual manner.

In the operation of this improved fastener, the door having been slidforwardly into position'opposite the opening 0 in the side of the car,the lever 9A which has been disengaged from the keeper 36 is swungoutwardly and then downwardly and when it reaches the point shown inFig. 4, the beveledend 20 of the cam is at the entrance of the keepersocket 38 and the continued downward movement of said lever causes saidbeveled end to engage the beveled edge 39 of the keeper opening andthereby forces the cam inwardlyinto said keeper socket or recess 38carrying the door D with it and causing it to properly seat on the doorframe. The lever is then swung downwardly to its extreme limit into theposition shown in Fig. 9 in which position it will be observed that thecam while at the extreme inward limit of its locking movement is yetspaced slightly from the wall of the socket 38 and the door is nottightly seated. (See Fig. 9.) The free end of the lever 24 is then swungforwardly and downwardly under the free arm of the keeper 35, thustilting the front end of the lever connected with the T-shaped extensionof the shank 21 of the locking cam, thereby forcing said cam outwardlyand the door inwardly into tightly closed position, and by passing theend of the lever under the free arm of the keeper 35, as shown in Fig.10, the door will be securely locked in this position.

To open the door the operation above described is reversed, the leverbeing swung forwardly and outwardly to disengage it from the free arm ofthe keeper 35 and then swung upwardly into the position shown in Fig. 3,in which position the cam 20 will be of the keeper 36 which willsecurely hold it in open position until it is again desired to close thedoor. The door may be then swung laterally outward on its tracks 1 and 5to cause it to clear the frame F and after being so swung, it is movedlongitudinally rearward on said tracks to uncover the door opening andpermit access to the body of the car.

\Vhile this improved fastener is shown and described as applied to afreight car door, it is obvious that it may be applied equally well toany sliding door of this character such as are used on barns,refrigerators, and the like.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a door frame having a door seat and a keeper, ofa door having a latch for locking engagement with said keeper andmounted for rotary movement on an axis at right angles to the plane ofthe door and also slidable lengthwise on said axis, and means for movingsaid latch outwardly against its keeper for forcing said door inwardlyto reliably seat it.

2. The combination with a door frame having a door seat and a keeper, ofa laterally movable door having a latch for locking engagement with saidkeeper mounted for lateral and rotary movement, of a lever connectedwith said latch and fulcrumed to tilt laterally to operate said latchoutwardly against its keeper for forcing said door inwardly to reliablyseat it, and means for locking said lever in tilted position.

3. The combination with a door frame having a door seat and a keeper; ofa laterally movable door having a cam latch for locking engagement withsaid keeper, said keeper and latch having cooperating beveled faces forinterlocking engagement to force said door into its seat, said latchbeing mounted for slight lateral movement, and a lever connected withsaid latch and fulcrumed to tilt laterally to operate said latch forreliably seating said door, and means for locking said lever in tiltedposition.

4. A door latch comprising a revolubly mounted bearing means forsecuring said bearing in position, a cam-shaped latch having ashankmounted in said bearing and held against rotation therein, a headedextension on the free end of said shank, a lever having a slotpositioned for locking engagement with said extension, said lever beingbent intermediately of its ends and fulcrumed at its point of bending, akeeper for cooperation with said latch, and means for locking said leverin adjusted position.

5. The combination with a door andits frame, of a rotatable latch and akeeper mounted respectively thereon, said latch and keeper havingcooperating means for moving said door into engagement with said framewhen the latch is turned in one direction, said latch being mounted formovement in a direction at right angles to the direction of its rotarymovement to bring it into engagement with the keeper and thereby forcethe door into binding engagement with the frame, and means for lockingsaid latch in operative position.

6. The combination with a door and its frame, said frame having a keeperthereon provided with a latch receiving recess, a latch mounted on saiddoor adjacent the edge thereof and comprising a segmental cam-shapedmember having a shank extending laterally therefrom, a bearing sleeverevolubly mounted in said door to receive the shank of said cam, saidshank and sleeve being held against rotation relatively to each other,the shank being slidable in said sleeve, said sleeve having annularflanges at its opposite ends, one of said flanges being positioned onthe outer face of said door and having aradial longitudinally groovedextension, a T-shaped head on the free end of said shank, a leverfulcrumed in said grooved extension and having a slot at its inner endfor detachable engagement with said head, said keeper having a beveledentrance for cooperation with the beveled end of said cam whereby thedoor is forced inwardly into closed position on the engagement of saidcam with said keeper.

7. The combination with a door and its frame, said frame having a keeperthereon provided with a latch receiving recess, a latch mounted on saiddoor adjacent the edge thereof and comprising a segmental cam-shapedmember having a shank extending laterally therefrom, a bearing sleeverevolubly mounted in said door to receive the shank of said cam, saidshank and sleeve being held against rotation relatively to each other,the shank being slidable in said sleeve, said sleeve having annularflanges at its opposite ends, one of said flanges being positioned onthe outer face of said door and having a radial longitudinally groovedextension, a T-shaped head on the free end of said shank, a leverfulcrumed in said grooved extension and having a slot at its inner enddetachably engaged with said inner end, said keeperthaving a beveledentrance for cooperation with the beveled end of said cam whereby thedoor is forced inwardly into closed position on the engagement of saidcam with said keeper, said lever being bent intermediately of its endsand fulcrumed at its point of opening, whereby the lever may be movedlaterally relatively to said cam, and means for locking said on saiddoor opposite said keeper and comprising a bearing sleeve revolublymounted in a recess of the door and having annular flanges at itsopposite ends,securing plates engaging said sleeve between said flanges,

means for connecting said plates to said door, a cam-shaped lockmgmember having a beveled nose and a laterally extending shank, said shankand the opening in said sleeve being angular in cross section andcorrespondingly shaped, said shank being mounted in said sleeve and heldthereby against rotation relatively .thereto, said shank being longerthan said bearing to provide for its longitudinal movement therein,securing means arranged between said flanges and connected with saiddoor, a lever fulcrumed on said sleeve and engaging said having a doorseat and a keeper, of a laterally movable door having a latch forlooking engagement with said keeper, said keeper having a beveled facefor engagement by said latch for forcing said door into its seat, saidlatch being mounted for lateral movement relativelyto the door, andmeans for moving said latch laterally outward against its keeper forforcing said door inwardly against its seat.

11. The combination with a door and its frame, of a keeper carried bysaid frame, a bearing revolubly mounted in said door and having alaterally extending seat at its outer end, a latch having a shankmounted in said bearing and held against rotary movement therein butslidable longitudinally, the latch extending in a plane at right anglesto said shank, a lever fulcrumed intermediately of its ends in the seatof said bearing and having one end engaged with the shank of said latch,said lever being operable to move said latch outwardly against itskeeper for forcing said door inwardly against the frame, and means forsecuring said lever in adjusted position.

12. A door latch comprising a revolubly mounted bearing, a latch havinga shank mounted in said bearing andheld against rotation therein, saidshank being longer than the bearing and having one end projecting beyondthe outer face thereof, a lever fulcrumed on said bearing and having oneend engaged with the projecting end of said shank, and a keeper forcooperation with said latch, said lever being movable relatively to saidlatch shank, whereby said shank may be moved longitudinally in saidbearing for forcing the latch outwardly against the keeper.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses;

GEORGE E. MERRITT. Witnesses:

Gno. C. SoHIMrr, E. VVILBUR SToLL.

Sopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

